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Micro Kitchen Concept for Small Urban Dwellings

A new prototype by GE Monogram, unveiled at Dwell on Design 2014, rethinks appliance design for the small-space era. See the micro kitchen concept, plus other appliances designed for the compact kitchen of the future, here.

GE Micro Kitchen Concept

GE’s new product line aims to give urban and small space dwellers more suitable and ergonomic appliances, all contained within a single, “monoblock” structure.

Designed for a wave of newer, smaller urban dwellings, the GE Micro Kitchen concept is meant to be a “major shift” in appliance design, according to Lou Lenzi, director of industrial design at GE Appliances, who helped developed the prototype that’s being tested by the company for widespread release later this year.

And for the ultimate product in futuristic, small-space kitchen appliance design, the combination 3D printer and oven system, currently a prototype being developed by a company in Barcelona, will help “print” different types of food.

GE’s new product line aims to give urban and small space dwellers more suitable and ergonomic appliances, all contained within a single, “monoblock” structure.

Image by GE

Designed for a new wave of small urban dwellings, both for millennials and those looking to downsize, the GE Micro Kitchen concept is meant to be a “major shift” in appliance design, according to Lou Lenzi, director of industrial design at GE Appliances, who helped developed the prototype that’s being tested by the company for widespread release later this year.

According to Lenzi, there was a steady drumbeat of information, including compelling demographic data, that inspired the direction of development. “When we think of a room that’s 300-700 square feet, our standard range wouldn’t work,” he says. “We had to rethink the whole category.”

After rejecting a method that vertically stacked different pieces due to ergonomics, the team came upon a customizable “monoblock” system that utilizes 24-inch deep, drawer-based modules, aligned at 36-inches high, that can fit an entire array of appliances (oven, dishwasher, sink, freezer, refrigerator and induction cooktop) within six linear feet. The entire system would run roughly $15,000, and can be configured down to $7,000-$8,000 depending on need. It can fit into high-rises as well as tertiary spaces, like an Airstream trailer. Ryan Diener, an industrial designer at GE Appliances, says the layout achieves a minimal footprint without losing functionality, especially due to the new tabletop UI and seamless LCD touch controls, which mimic the flat interface of a mobile device and are made to be visible across the room.

“We worked to create a more seamless interaction with mobile as well,” says Diener. “You can charge phones and tablets on the backsplash.”

Lenzi estimates that this could be a huge market opportunity—trends suggest up to a third of the population may be looking for smaller dwellings and suitable appliances at some point soon—and the design also increases accessibility access.

Today, we kicked off this year’s annual Dwell on Design at the LA Convention Center, which will continue through Sunday, June 26th. Though we’ve been hosting this extensive event for years, this time around is particularly special.